Texans' offense lacking in big plays

Justin Forsett (28) ran 81 yards for a touchdown against the Lions on one of the Texans' few big plays this season, but it came with an asterisk since officials missed his knee touching down after only a modest gain. ﻿ less

Justin Forsett (28) ran 81 yards for a touchdown against the Lions on one of the Texans' few big plays this season, but it came with an asterisk since officials missed his knee touching down after only a modest ... more

Photo: Karen Warren, Staff

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Andre Johnson
Houston Texans
2012 NFL photo

Andre Johnson
Houston Texans
2012 NFL photo

Photo: NA, FRE

Texans' offense lacking in big plays

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The Texans' grand design is to be known for their physical prowess, not their pyrotechnical displays. They're grinders by nature, taking considerable pride in their clock-gobbling, defense-preserving approach to offense.

A softly stated Texans goal before the season was to lead the NFL in time of possession, and that should be easily realized no matter what happens Sunday in Indianapolis. Even after letting the Vikings beat them badly at their own game of keep-away in Sunday's lethargic 23-6 loss (the Texans held the football for a season-low 25:14), they have clung to the football in excess of four minutes more per game than their opponents.

That's about a minute and a half longer than anyone else, but there's a down side to being such a ball hog. Although coach Gary Kubiak and offensive coordinator Rick Dennison resist the notion the Texans are lacking in quick-strike capabilities, the facts indicate it's becoming an issue.

Their 10 plays of 40-plus yards have come in only six games and Andre Johnson is responsible for half of them. Justin Forsett broke for 81 against the Lions, but that gain deserves an asterisk because the officials didn't notice Forsett's knee touched down after only a modest run. Further, the Texans' 42 completions of 20 or more yards are second to last among the AFC's six playoff teams, besting only Cincinnati's 38.

As for the 40-plus-yard gainers that make fans' hearts race, the Broncos alone have fewer, seven to the Texans' eight. And, remember, Peyton Manning has always been the antitheses of a vertical passer. But he more than compensates with an abundance of shorter-range strikes. He has completed 60 passes for at least 20 yards, 18 more than Matt Schaub.

Armed and ready

It's not a weapons issue for Schaub and the Texans. Johnson might be on the back side of 30, but he has shown he can get behind any defensive back. Arian Foster's history offers a surfeit of proof he's capable of breaking loose for huge gains, no matter how sporadic they've been in 2012.

Lestar Jean, in his first season on the active roster, has catches of 54 and 46 yards, the former going for a touchdown at Tennessee.

"It makes it easier to go down and score when you can get 40-yard chunks and move the ball that way," Schaub said. "It definitely lifts you. We feel like we're going to always try to get the big play if it's there, but also there are other factors in that, whether the coverage or the defense is being played.

"If they're bringing pressure, there are going to be things that ultimately tell you whether you can take a chance. We always want to try to make those big plays and we have the type of players who can do that."

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Small gains

Among the AFC's playoff teams, only the Bengals have had fewer plays that gained at least 20 yards than the Texans this season.

Rushing Passing Total

AFC +20 +40 +20 +40

Ravens 8 3 60 12 68

Colts 4 0 63 10 67

Broncos 6 0 60 7 66

Patriots 10 2 52 8 62

Texans 14 2 42 8 56

Bengals 13 3 38 13 51

NFC

Redskins 14 2 53 8 67

49ers 16 2 48 7 64

Giants 13 2 46 9 59

Cowboys 5 1 53 9 58

Packers 8 1 50 7 58

Seahawks 13 2 41 9 54

Vikings 24 2 29 8 53

Falcons 7 2 45 10 52

Bears 11 2 36 4 47

Big-play breakdown

The Texans' gains of 40-plus yards:

Opponent Player Gain

Colts Andre Johnson 52 reception

@Titans Lestar Jean 54 reception*

@Lions Justin Forsett 81 run*

@Lions Andre Johnson 43 reception

Jaguars Andre Johnson 48 reception*

Jaguars Andre Johnson 45 reception

@Jets Arian Foster 46 run

@Broncos Andre Johnson 60 reception*

@Broncos Kevin Walter 52 reception*

@Broncos Lestar Jean 46 reception

* Touchdown

Dennison cited the overtime victory at Detroit on Thanksgiving as a prime example of the Texans' big-play prowess. Besides Forsett's sprint, Schaub found Johnson for 43 and 37 yards, plus two of 23. A week earlier, six Texans plays covered at least 30 yards, including passes of 48 and 45 to Johnson.

"I think at times during the year we've had plenty (of big plays)," Dennison said. "We got ourselves in a hole in Detroit and against Jacksonville here and we were able to win in overtime with some explosive plays."

But against a middling Vikings defense Sunday, the Texans' longest gain was 19 yards.

Fortunately, they can fall back on what they did against the Colts two weeks ago. Johnson caught a 52-yard pass and rookie DeVier Posey snared one for 36. Helping protect a lead, Foster cut loose in the second half with jaunts of 31, 26 and 25 yards en route to a 165-yard day.

Fuel up Foster

Indianapolis is fourth from the bottom in the NFL against the run. The Texans know they need to exploit the same again and Foster is the man to do it. He has rushed for at least 158 yards at the Colts' expense in each of his three seasons as a starter, averaging 6 or more yards per carry in those games. Although Thursday he dismissed his success as "luck," it's surely more than that.

"I think we've been explosive," Kubiak said. "I think we can do everything. We want to be physical. We want to run the ball. I think that's important to winning in this league consistently. But if we've got to line up and throw it a ton, we can do that. We've won games throwing it all over the yard. One thing you've got to do (is) be smart. If you go out there and all you're doing is trying to make home runs, maybe you'll make some of them, but you might make a lot of negative plays, too."

Kubiak admits he's at his most content when his offense refuses to leave the field for long stretches while stubbornly hammering toward the end zone. But, to be sure, he'll take his chances with a few blitzkrieg strikes, too.

"If you can make big plays," he said, "I don't mind sending the defense back out there."

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